Before Browns owner Jimmy Haslam decided to streamline his front office, he consulted Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, according to Mike Freeman of BleacherReport.com.
Freeman reported several unnamed sources told him Haslam tried to persuade Parcells, 72, to run the Browns during a meeting in South Florida.
Parcells, in an email to Freeman, played down the meeting with Haslam and said the meeting was about Haslam seeking Parcells’ advice “only about how I believe organizations succeed and others fail.” Parcells said no offer was made.
On Tuesday, Haslam fired General Manager Mike Lombardi and CEO Joe Banner, though Banner will stay on the job perhaps through May or June to help a transition of duties, just as former team president Mike Holmgren did when Haslam and Banner fired him in 2012.
Parcells has been out of football since serving as the Dolphins’ vice president of football operations from 2008-2010. He has been head coach of the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants and has a career coaching record of 172-130-1.
Parcells was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.